Dutch vote bellwether for Europe

Thursday

Mar 16, 2017 at 4:00 AM

The outcome of Wednesday's election in the Netherlands may be a bellwether event indicating if globalism is a spent trend having last year witnessed Britain, mainly England, voting to leave the European Union an event followed by the election of Donald Trump, the president who preaches "America First" as opposed to the globalist leadership that the United States has exercised since World War II's end.

The Freedom Party, led by Geert Wilders, wants Holland to close its borders and where possible reduce the presence of Muslims who make up 5 percent of its population. It also wants Holland to join Britain in leaving the European Union.

Wednesday's vote in the Netherlands will be followed next year by elections in France and Germany where right-wing parties, appealing to nationalism over the European Union, are rising movements that are said to pit global elites against portions of populations who feel globalism has left them behind.

The United States led the movement for globalism until the arrival of Donald Trump as president. Some of Trump's allies in his campaign to win the White House were involved in the British vote last year to leave the EU.

If a populist brand of nationalism triumphs over globalism, it could spell a new world order, which is very much desired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sees the United States and the emergence of China as threats to his country's place in the world.